The study  the most comprehensive population-level study conducted to date  found that the life expectancy and mortality rates of Indigenous Australians was most closely matched by those of Russians.

"These findings show that the problem of Indigenous health is not an Aboriginal problem, it's a problem that can occur across cultures and across nations," said Mr Paradies.

The researchers found the life expectancy of the average Russian worsened very quickly from 1990 to 1994 as a result of the immense economic and social instability following the collapse of the USSR.

"What happened in Russia was the biggest recorded drop in life expectancy in the developed world's entire peacetime history," he explained.

"The fact that Indigenous Australians have very similar life expectancy may also be related to social instability and loss of culture experienced since European colonisation."

Both Russians and Indigenous Australians experience high unemployment, low income, high rates of smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, poor nutrition, high levels of stress and inadequate or inappropriate health services according to Mr Paradies.

But there were obviously differences as well as similarities between the two populations, he said, because more recent figures from Russia showed rapid improvements in health.

One difference is that changes in Russia affected the whole population, whereas Indigenous Australians are only 2.1 per cent of the population. Mr Paradies said he suspected it was harder for minority populations to adapt to social dislocation.

Because Indigenous Australians had suffered poor health over such a long time, intergenerational effects came into play which were less relevant in Russia he explained.

A ray of hope

These findings can be seen as an encouragement for those involved in trying to improve Indigenous health, according to Mr Paradies.

"What the Russian example shows is that social changes for better or worse are possible on a large scale over short periods of time, and that these changes impact directly on health," he said.

"Improving the social situation for Aboriginal Australians may produce health benefits more quickly than we previously thought possible."